The Undergraduate Senate (UGS) unanimously passed a joint resolution calling on the University to support the decline of charges against Daily reporter Dilan Gohill ’27, who was arrested in June while reporting on a pro-Palestine occupation at the president’s office.
UGS co-chair Ivy Chen ’26 listed five key demands of the resolution, which included calling for the Santa Clara County District Attorney to decline to file charges against Gohill, for the University to support dismissal of his charges by the Office of Community Standards (OCS) and for the return of his seized belongings.
UGS deputy chair Ethan Alfonso ’27 highlighted Gohill’s role as a first-year beat reporter aiming to build community and establish himself at The Daily.
“When we think about the level of power dynamics in this space, let’s think about all of his identities,” Alfonso said. “What we’re advocating for here is not only for Gohill but for all future journalists who are willing to tell the truth and get to the truth.”
Some senators believed Gohill was unaware of the potential consequences of covering the break-in. “He did not go in there expecting to get arrested,” Chen said. “He was simply given instruction from his superior to enter the building to report on this occasion.”
“He was a frosh, and I don’t think even some of the older people in the Daily had ever been in that situation,” said Jared Hammerstrom ’27, UGS chair of administration and rules.
The Daily’s Editor-in-chief Linda Liu ’25 wrote in a statement that she “appreciates the outpour of support Dilan has received” since his initial arrest.
“Editors provide reporters with reporting, ethical and legal guidance, but the fast-paced nature of breaking news scenarios like protests means reporters and editors often have to navigate them on the fly,” Liu wrote in a statement.
The resolution also calls for the UGS to support The Daily in revising reporter training to address the potential dangers of covering protests.
“The Daily prides itself in providing unbiased, independent student journalism to the community,” Liu wrote. “To help our reporters navigate breaking news and protest coverage, we will be offering two newsroom trainings with the nation’s foremost legal experts later this month.”
The Graduate Student Council passed an earlier version of the bill Monday but will revote on the revised UGS bill next week due to the changes made to the original draft.
The UGS also passed a joint bill to establish a committee dedicated to incorporating “ethical and social considerations” into voluntary student organization (VSO) spending based on the Board of Trustees’ Statement on Investment.
The committee would consider a vendor or investment ethical if it properly considers human and environmental welfare. If certain actions or inactions are “abhorrent and ethically unjustifiable,” it will not be deemed ethical. In this case, the committee could recommend VSOs to avoid purchases with certain vendors.
Some senators raised concerns over the proposed committee on ethical spending.
Hammerstrom, who opposed the bill, said the ASSU should collect more information on student opinions through surveys or conversations with VSO leaders before the bill is passed.
Parliamentarian Noah Maltzman ’25 argued the committee would be a misuse of UGS resources and time, proposing that the senators could instead send email reminders to VSO leadership or create a Stanford Training and Registration System (STARS) training to educate VSO leaders on ethical guidelines.
“They can read the guidelines and understand what’s ethical or not,” Maltzman said. “They don’t need a committee to tell them.”
Maltzman said the 40% voter turnout in the latest elections would mean the proposed ethics committee, which would include ASSU members and faculty, would not accurately represent a significant portion of undergraduates. According to Celeste Vargas ’27, UGS chair of health and safety, the election had one of the highest undergraduate participatory rates in the last five years.
Another concern for Maltzman was the committee’s potential to lack diversity of opinion.
“A lot of Stanford political opinions… especially from people who are part of ASSU, are very monolithic,” Maltzman said. “So what you’re going to end up getting is the same opinion that’s just going to echo chamber all throughout.”
Most senators argued, however, that the committee would promote ethical spending considerations without being overbearing. ASSU President Diego Kagurabadza ’25 clarified that the committee recommendations would serve as requests to VSOs, not mandates.
Lizbeth Hernadez ’25 added that the creation of a committee would better inform students who were previously unaware of the University’s ethical investment guidelines. This would include familiarizing students with outlined principles such as avoiding investments linked to “apartheid, genocide, human trafficking, slavery, and violations of child labor laws.”
A group of UGS senators are set to meet with University President Jonathan Levin ’94 and Provost Jenny Martinez next week to discuss undergraduate priorities for the year.